


The Scout

by orphan_account



Series: From the Vault [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Ghouls, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, alternative universe, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27816001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: At night, death is imminent outside the village. With a broken leg and a wink of daylight left, Hide has no hope of getting back in time. However, the monster that finds him, doesn't kill him.From the Vault - a.k.a. a series of old fics that are just sitting on my laptop, so I might as well post them.
Relationships: Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise/Nagachika Hideyoshi
Series: From the Vault [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035357
Comments: 21
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

Being stuck out of the village at night was a death sentence. Hide was an hour walking distance away, with a wink of the sun on the horizon and a broken leg.  
  
The village was a fortress, and the villagers were kept safe from the monsters just outside their walls. Hide had more desire for freedom than others, always wishing to explore beyond the village, like his parents once had. It was no wonder he became a scout, searching for more potential villagers, as well as new sources of food, water or materials.

Recently, one of their own went missing. They set out searching for his body. Not only did they want to take the remains back to the man’s family for burial, but the dead scout was supposedly returning with information from one of the village’s outposts.  
  
It was late afternoon, and Hide strayed too far from the group when he took a tumble down a steep hill. By the time he woke up, his head and lower leg aching, everyone was already too far gone for him to call for help.  
  
His only hope was to get some type of shelter and hide for the night. He fashioned a makeshift splint with some branches and cloth he had in his pack. By the time he was done, the world had gone pitch black.  
  
The only thing he could hear was his own breathing. All the animals in the forest were silent - a sure sign that something bad was close. His skin was slick with blood where it had been scraped by branches and rocks. Hide pulled his knife out of the holster on his thigh, thankful it wasn’t dislodged during his tumble.  
  
A branch cracked to his side, Hide whipping around to look. The only thing he could see in the dark was a pair of red irises. His stomach dropped, the blade almost dropping from his shaking hands.  
  
A ghoul was the very worst thing he could run into. His little knife was useless compared to their impenetrable skin. This ghoul had no doubt been drawn by the smell of his blood. Sitting there with his broken leg, Hide was no better off than a rabbit in a trap.  
  
The ghoul knelt in front of him, close enough Hide could just make out his features and white hair in the moonlight.  
  
“You’re far from home.”  
  
Hide’s breath caught in his throat. Those eyes kept staring down at him. His eyes widened when the ghoul reached towards him, but he only inspected the tender spot on the side of Hide’s head.  
  
Hide swallowed thickly, working up the nerve to speak. Talking was good. Talking meant he was alive and maybe wouldn’t end up dead soon. “I took a bit of a fall. A minor tumble.” Except the problem for Hide was that when he started talking, sometimes he couldn’t stop. “I was falling and the world was spinning. I hit my head and I blacked out after that. And then I woke up and I hurt everywhere and my leg was broken and I didn’t know what to do other to splint it and try to get somewhere safe, but -“  
  
The ghoul slid an arm under Hide’s knees and supported his back with the other. Hide’s mouth shut with a click when he hefted him up. Hide heard stories of ghouls kidnapping people to feast on later. Sometimes they wouldn’t be killed right away. Instead, they were kept alive as long as possible, a source of fresh meat until they finally succumbed to their injuries.  
  
A shiver ran down Hide’s back. His palm was sweaty and he struggled to keep a grip on his knife. “What are you...”  
  
“I suppose I’m taking you somewhere safe.” The ghoul murmured. “Would you rather stay out here?”

Hide didn’t know which decision was worse. But regardless, he wasn’t sure whether he had a choice. He was helpless. Even if he did manage to stab the ghoul in its one weak spot, the eye, he wouldn’t get far with his injured leg.

Besides, if the ghoul didn’t kill him, something else probably would.

Taking Hide’s silence as a negative, the ghoul started to walk. The swaying motion made his leg ache, even with the splint. Thankfully, they didn’t have to travel far.

Hide didn’t know why he was surprised to see a little cabin. He knew many monsters – and ghouls especially – masqueraded as humans, but it was no less shocking. If Hide stumbled upon this cabin while scouting, he’d have thought the ghoul was simply another human choosing to live on the brink of society. Some preferred their freedom over the safety villages offered. Hide seemed to be one of the few villagers who understood the desire.

The cabin was a single room. It had bedding on one side, and a fire burning nearby. Despite the warmth of the ghoul’s body next to him, Hide started shivering a while ago. His earlier stumble left him more than damp and covered in mud. He almost sighed in relief when he was put down beside the fire. He held out his hands, warming his icy fingertips.

Hide kept his eyes off the dried meat he saw by the fire, knowing full well what it was. There had to be a couple weeks worth, which hopefully meant Hide could stay alive that much longer. If he was able to make it long enough for his leg to heal… then he had some hope to live after all.

With renewed hope, Hide put away his knife, carefully took apart his splint and gently palpated his injury. He attended enough first-aid demonstrations to know that a bone had to be set properly for it to heal right, but he had no idea how to even tell. Touching his leg did nothing more than cause great pain to radiate all the way up to his knee.

Hide struggled to reapply the splint, gritting his teeth as tears sprung to his eyes. He jumped, then froze as the ghoul soundlessly knelt next to him.

“Here.” The ghoul held out some stiff leather and twine. Combined with the sticks and random pieces of cloth Hide was currently using, it would immobilize his leg a lot better.

Hide unfroze, murmuring his thanks. He tried not to twitch as the ghoul shifted closer to see what he was doing. By the time he was done fashioning the splint, Hide’s hands were shaking uncontrollably. Whether that was from the cold, pain or fear, he didn’t know.

Hide’s nerves were frayed. Every time the ghoul so much as twitched, Hide felt his heart stutter.

“What do you want from me?” He finally asked.

The ghoul’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean – I…” Hide’s hands curled into fists. “I want to live. And I know I’m not really in a position to bargain, but I really don’t want to die. So what… what do you want? What can I even offer? Why am I not even dead yet?”

The ghoul stared at him. “I’m not going to kill you.”

Hide wanted to believe him, but he couldn’t. It must have shown on his face.

“I mean it,” the ghoul said. “I only kill those who deserve it.”

And how _exactly_ did the ghoul determine who deserved it and who didn’t? Hide wanted to ask, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to risk the ghoul changing his mind and killing him. They sat in silence, Hide staring at the fire, and the ghoul occasionally adding more logs to keep it going. Exhaustion was setting in, no matter how much Hide was fighting it. He must have drifted off at some point, because he awoke to the ghoul draping a couple furs over him.

“You should get some rest,” the ghoul said. “I’ll find you something to eat in the morning.”

~<3<3<3~

Hide awoke the next morning stiff, and confused about where he was. The coals in front of him were still warm, and during the night, he was covered with more furs and fabrics. The ghoul was nowhere to be seen.

Hide cast a glance around the room. The dried meat by the fire was gone – likely stored somewhere. There were also a few things Hide hadn’t noticed before. There were some shelves with various trinkets and books, all looking well worn. There were also some packs in the corner of the room, partially filled.

Hide stiffened as he recognized one of them. It was a dark green, well worn, but still sturdy. And it belonged to the missing scout that Hide’s group was looking for. Hide listened hard, but was resigned to the fact that even if the ghoul was around, Hide probably wouldn’t hear him. Hide painfully dragged himself to the pack and started rifling through the contents.

Nothing in it belonged the dead scout. Instead, it was partially full of the ghoul’s belongings, like he was in the middle of packing. Still, Hide searched through all the pockets, not quite sure what he was looking for. In a small pouch was a folded piece of parchment.

Hide opened it up, surprised to find a map.

He could see the location of their village there, but what surprised him were the other locations marked. They were clearly other villages. All of them had their populations listed. However, more concerning were the details given about their defenses and their stores of resources.

There was another slip of parchment behind the map. Hide read it, his stomach dropping. It was full of strategies to pillage the villages, as well as the manpower needed to do it.

For a while, Hide suspected that his village didn’t disclose all the ways they obtained their resources. Hide’s scouting group was well known and celebrated in the village. But there were other groups, and Hide had no idea where or how they obtained the resources they brought back to the village.

He suspected they stole it, but he always hoped it wasn’t true. However, the map was so much more incriminating than that. Not only was pillaging happening, but Hide’s village officials knew about it. Probably encouraged it. And the public was none the wiser. They were thriving off of other people’s misery.

Hide dropped his head, the map dangling from his numb fingers.

It was pulled from his grasp.

The ghoul was crouched beside him with a blank expression. “There was a small village of a couple dozen people. They were more like one, large family. They were kind, and they kept to themselves. Save for some foraging and gathering, they were entirely self-sustained.” Kaneki pointed to a small settlement on the map. There was a large, red ‘X’ drawn over it. “A few weeks ago, they were all killed. Even the children.” The ghoul’s eyes burned with hatred. “Those people in that village… they didn’t know what I was, but they were kind to me. Even though I was total stranger. When I went to visit, they always gave me a place to rest, and food to eat even though I couldn’t consume it. The very least I could do is avenge them, and kill the people responsible for hurting them.”

Hide swallowed thickly. His own anger was making his stomach turn.

The ghoul turned his burning gaze onto Hide. “You asked me before what I wanted. Can you help me get to the ones responsible?”


	2. Chapter 2

Blood never bothered Hide, but seeing Kaneki covered in it was a bit much. He was a messy eater when the kill was fresh. It was hard to coincide with the image he had of Kaneki eating dried meat at home or while they were traveling.

Once Kaneki was done feasting, Hide could approach safely. He handed Kaneki a bag full of all the things he would need to harvest the remaining meat from the corpse. Kaneki never wasted any of his kills. The remainder would be dried to be consumed later.

Hide turned his gaze away again, wincing as he shifted his weight off his bad leg. It healed decently, but never quite right. It still ached on bad days or when the weather changed. His shifting didn’t escape Kaneki’s notice. He didn’t say anything, but hurried along his harvesting.

After a few more long, aching minutes, Kaneki finally stood, hauling his filled bag over his shoulder. Then man that Hide used to know as Kureo was nothing more than a hollowed-out corpse. Knowing what Kureo did to others left Hide with no sympathy for him. But he couldn’t help but also think of his family, who probably had no idea what a monster he was.

He was hardly the first murderer he led Kaneki to. They already worked through all the ones that Hide originally knew of, but they kept finding more and more as they kept investigating. Kaneki probably had enough dried meat to last him for a year.

Hide wouldn’t be able to return to the village. Not without wondering if every person he looked at was secretly a monster. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to join another village, period.

At least when he was with Kaneki, he knew where his food came from. There was more than enough food to forage, especially when he didn’t have to worry about any monsters attacking him. Anything he couldn’t catch in his traps, Kaneki would hunt down for him.

He stayed with Kaneki. Kaneki never asked him to leave, and never even asked why he was staying, although he did seem a little perplexed at times. Nonetheless, he didn’t complain, so Hide stayed.

Getting back to Kaneki’s little cabin was an ordeal. Hide’s leg was already bothering him. Distracted by the pain, he slipped on a puddle of mud. He recovered quick enough to keep himself from going down, but his leg muscles still protested. Hide sucked in a breath between his teeth, drawing Kaneki’s attention.

“You okay?” Kaneki’s voice was soft and resigned, as it usually was after a kill.

Hide grimaced. “Yeah. Fuck. Just give me a minute.”

Kaneki stood awkwardly as Hide tried to massage the pain out of his leg. The muscles were weakened after being immobilized for so long, and it didn’t help that it didn’t heal right. After a couple minutes and no sign of improvement, Hide groaned in defeat.

“I’m gonna need help getting back. Think you could lend me your shoulder?”

Kaneki frowned, but wrapped an arm around Hide’s waist when Hide threw his over his shoulders. Kaneki was sticky with drying blood.

He noticed Hide’s grimace. “Sorry.” He glanced away.

Hide wanted to make a crack at his manners, but bit it back. Kaneki was already self-conscious enough about his feeding habits. Hide didn’t want to risk making it worse. “It’s alright.” Hide already had blood on his hands figuratively. Why not make it literal as well?

“Is it though?” Kaneki asked. “Is it okay for me to… they may be killers, but I’m a killer too. I always have been.”

Hide bit his lip. “I don’t know – but I know if it was me, I would be doing the same thing as you. Or at least, I hope I would. It’s just – you deserve to live too, y’know?”

The sun was starting to set, making Hide lean into Kaneki a little more. At night he was safe with Kaneki, but he still couldn’t stop his instinctive anxiety. A lot more monsters came out a night, especially those of the more feral variety.

“We should hurry,” Kaneki said. “They’ll smell the fresh blood.” He adjusted the bag on his shoulder. “Hang on.” Kaneki scooped Hide up like he weighed nothing.

With Kaneki’s enhanced speed, the rest of the trip took no time at all. Since Kaneki’s arms were full, Hide opened the door for them, Kaneki taking Hide all the way to the edge of the bed. Hide winced as he extended his leg out.

Before Kaneki started cleaning himself up, he lit a fire. He set the bag aside, then headed outside. Along the side of the cabin were a few pails of water he hauled over earlier. It was more than enough for him to clean the blood off himself and wash his black ‘hunting clothes’.

Hide cleaned himself up as well, then went to the fire and started building it up a little. The weather was getting colder, and Kaneki would no doubt be freezing by the time he was done. He started hanging the meat up to dry as well, copying what he’d seen Kaneki do before. He was hanging the last piece when Kaneki finally came back, hair damp and body tense to keep himself from shivering.

Kaneki’s eyes widened when he saw the work already done. His expression softened when he saw Hide’s smile. Kaneki didn’t let down his guard often, and Hide was starting to see it more.

When Hide settled on the bedding, Kaneki joined him under the blanket. His cold hand brushed against Hide’s as they settled. The bedding wasn’t too large, so Hide felt every shiver Kaneki wasn’t able to restrain.

Over the past couple months of sharing the bed, they usually slept a couple inches apart. It was awkward at first, but they quickly became accustomed to the arrangement and no longer stiffened when they accidently made contact or became entangled during the night.

Hide reached for Kaneki’s hand under the covers. “You’re freezing.”

Kaneki hummed.

“Here.” Hide covered those last couple of inches, pressing their bodies together.

Kaneki stiffened, but didn’t pull away. He relaxed, his other hand settling against Hide’s ribs. “How is…” He cleared his throat. “Your leg?”

“It doesn’t hurt too bad,” Hide said. “But I’ll probably have to stay off it a little longer.”

Kaneki frowned.

“Sorry,” Hide said. “I don’t mean to be slowing you down.” Kaneki would be able to work a lot more quickly if he was alone. Hide felt like dead weight. He didn’t want to be a burden, but he didn’t know what he would do without Kaneki’s help.

“Hey,” Kaneki’s fingers tapped his chin. “Don’t apologize. I… I like you being here.” It might have been a trick of the firelight, but Kaneki looked like he was blushing.

~<3<3<3~

The winter was a mild one. However, with all the meat they had dried (animal for Hide, and human for Kaneki), they were able to spend most of it inside, where they could stay warm. Water still had to be drawn, wood cut down, and other work to be done, but it was peaceful. It was probably the most peaceful winter Hide ever had.

He spent a lot of time curled together with Kaneki, simply talking. Kaneki didn’t talk much about his past, but he liked to tell stories. Some were from the books he read, and other times he came up with them. Hide shared his own stories, although he didn’t have quite as many as Kaneki did.

More than once, Hide was drawn in by Kaneki’s smile. The longer Hide knew him, the freer he gave it. Hide was surprised by his desire to brush his fingers against his lips, curl his palm against his jaw, and press his lips against Kaneki’s.

He mulled over it for many nights, wondering if Kaneki would let him – if it was something that Kaneki wanted as well. Hide thought he might, with the sidelong glances when he thought Hide wasn’t watching.

Still, his heart pounded. They had just laid down for bed, Kaneki’s body warm against Hide’s back. They no longer bothered to stay apart. Not when the weather was so cold. Hide tentatively turned to face Kaneki, who raised his eyebrows in question.

Best to be blunt, he supposed. “I want to kiss you.”

Kaneki’s expression shuttered. He turned his back to Hide, his voice low. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why?” Hide fought to keep his voice neutral. “Do you not…”

“I’m a monster,” Kaneki said. “I _eat_ your kind. And you want to _kiss_ me?”

Hide pushed himself up on his elbow. “Yeah, I do. And I’ve re-evaluated what I consider a monster. And you’re not one. Not to me.”

“Why?” Kaneki’s voice was harsh. “Because I play house with you?” He rolled over, pushing Hide onto his back. He hovered over him, the red in his eyes blazing in the dark. “I kill people, Hide. For all you know, I could be waiting to kill you too.”

“You saved my life.” Hide stared Kaneki in the eyes, refusing to be afraid. “You could have left me for dead, and you didn’t. You didn’t need me to lead you to the raiders from my village. You could have found them all by yourself. You saved me, because you couldn’t bear to watch someone innocent die. You kill murderers, because you want to save innocent lives. You were given a _shit_ deal in life, and you’ve done the best you could to be _good_. You have more humanity than most humans I’ve met. You may be a ghoul, but you’re not a monster. You kill monsters.”

Kaneki deflated, his lips pursing.

“You’ve taken care of me.” Hide brushed his fingers against Kaneki’s forearm. “You could’ve sent me away to another village. Instead, you let me stay. You worry over me every time my leg aches and you always make sure I’m not going hungry. And I… I know I’m only human, and I can’t help out as much as I want to – and –“

“No,” Kaneki whispered. “You do enough. Do you really want to stay here? With me?”

“More than anything.”

Kaneki’s expression crumbled. Hide wrapped his arms around Kaneki, pulling him into a hug. Kaneki fisted his hands in Hide’s shirt, his tears wetting Hide’s throat. Hide ran his fingertips up and down Kaneki’s spine, fighting back his own tears.

Kaneki’s lips pressed against his throat, soft and barely there. Hide’s breath caught, and he tilted his head to the side to give him more access. He couldn’t help but shiver as Kaneki dusted more kisses over his throat. When he made it up to Hide’s jaw, he hesitantly turned his head to meet Kaneki’s lips.

He still faintly tasted of blood, but Hide couldn’t bring himself to care. He tangled his fingers in Kaneki’s hair, deepening the kiss and feeling Kaneki’s shiver in response. Kaneki pulled back after a minute, cheeks still wet with tears, although he was no longer crying.

Kaneki wiped the tears away, smiling. “I thought I would never…” He shook his head. “Can we do that again?”

Hide grinned. “As many times as you want to.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a long time... how are all of you? 
> 
> I've been working on some original writing, and thoroughly enjoying it. I've been creating some fun new worlds and entertaining new characters. Unfortunately, I find I have far too many ideas, and sometimes have trouble focusing on one of them. Anyone else relate? 
> 
> Anyway, I did a little reorganizing in my files and found a couple things. This fic was almost complete, so I thought sure - why the hell not. It's nice to clean house, and I hate leaving ideas unfinished. This will be broken into 2 chapters, but I still have to give the second one a quick proofread. I'm not all that happy with the quality of the writing or the pacing, but I figured someone might enjoy it. It's a waste just sitting in my files. It'll be posted in a couple days when I have time.
> 
> I also have an old long fic I was working on 2-3 years ago (it ended up being over 30,000 words and not nearly complete). Most of it is unedited garbage. But, I'll salvage what I can from it and post that as well.
> 
> Also, I'm aware that there is a new hidekaneweek happening on tumblr in a couple weeks. As you all know, I won't be creating any new fics, so I won't be participating. But if y'all are interested, please go check it out and support the people who are taking part. 
> 
> Lots of love  
> ~~~ Ella


End file.
